Other by stefan @ 2012-09-28
In this review we will look upon another high performance USB 3.0 flash drive from Patriot Memory, named Supersonic Rage XT, the 32GB variant. In the performed benchmarks, the product succeeded to beat all previously tested USB 3.0 drives regarding read speeds, the write ones being also very good and close to the ones reported by Patriot Memory.
At first I would like to thank Patriot Memory for offering me a sample of their 32GB Supersonic Rage XT USB 3.0 Flash Drive for reviewing.
"Mission Statement
To be the vendor of choice for the computer and consumer electronic industries with a commitment to service and quality.
Vision
Commitment, focus on innovation in technology, product quality, and customer satisfaction are the key enablers of our future success.
Company Profile
Established in 1985, Patriot Memory builds a full range of memory module and flash memory products, offering a perfect blend of quality and value. Patriot products include Extreme Performance (EP), Signature Lines (SL) and Flash Memory solutions (FM).
Sales and Distribution
Patriot has sales offices located throughout the U.S. and Asia. Patriot sells through the distribution channels throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
Product Design
We understand the value of designing and responding quickly and intelligently to the rapid changes inherent in the memory module industry. This commitment to R&D enables us to deliver the best quality memory modules powered by the latest innovative technology.
Manufacturing and Operations
Patriot's development and manufacturing facility are located in Fremont, California USA and Taipei, Taiwan. Our manufacturing segment is composed of a highly skilled production staff and multiple production lines optimized for modules, giving Patriot the ability and resources necessary to provide a full line of memory module solutions.
Manufacturing Process
To meet the growing global demand for its products, Patriot manufactures its Extreme Performance (EP), Dual Channel (DC) and Signature Line (SL) products in it own state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with highly skilled staff in Fremont, California USA and Taipei, Taiwan.
Patriot is a member of JEDEC. You can feel confident that your Patriot modules are of the highest quality available.
QA/QC Testing
Patriot Memory ensures that every module meets or exceeds industry standards. The manufacturing process begins with high-quality components and ends with rigorous functional testing to ensure each module's reliability and compatibility.
Patriot Memory modules are approved by leading motherboard and system manufacturers such Intel, Tyan, Supermicro and Iwill. Patriot Memory is a member of Apple Developer Connection. Awards from such leading product review sites as XBit Labs, Anandtech, Tom's Hardware and Hot Hardware.com demonstrate Patriot EP and DC+XBLK memory modules set the standard for performance and reliability."
• up to 180MB/s Read
• up to 50MB/s Write
• Durable design e xtends the lif e of y our dr ive
• Rubber coated housing pr otects from drops, spills, daily abuse
• Retractable design pr otects USB c onnector when dr ive not in use
The Supersonic Rage USB 3.0 Flash Drive from Patriot Memory is shipped inside a nice looking blister packaging which informs us of the storage capacity, compatible operating systems and regarding transfer speeds that we may expect:
On the back side we’ll get more in-detail information regarding the product features and regarding the 5 year warranty:
The body of the drive reminds us of the Xporter XT Rage USB drive, which was built for the USB 2.0 bus; on the drive we will see again the total storage capacity and the black plastic areas have a rubberized finish, pleasant to the touch:
The drive is capless, which means that it does not have a separate cover for the USB connector (another thing we do not have to worry about):
On the opposite side we will find a hole for inserting a lanyard (not included):
To be able to use the product, we only have to retract the plastic part:
When operating, we will see a red LED flashing in the same area where the hole for the lanyard is located:
The testbench was composed from the following hardware:
CPU: Intel I7 Retail @ stock
Motherboard: Foxconn BloodRage with G42 BIOS
RAM: 3x2GB Patriot PVT36G1600LLK 1600MHz
Video: Sparkle GTX 470 with stock and OMNI A.L.C.
Power Supply: Nexus RX-8500 850W modular
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 & Patriot TorqX 64GB SSD
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ LCS, stock cooling
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
ASUS U3S6
The Patriot Memory 32GB Supersonic Rage XT comes formatted FAT32:
To determine the flash drive read speeds, the HD Tune 4.60 utility was used:
To measure the real life performance, I have used the Total Commander application to copy to the flash drive and from the flash drive the same file and recorded the transfer speeds, when they have stabilized.
File Copy
File Read
The latest Supersonic Rage XT USB 3.0 Flash Drive really impressed us regarding the read performances, succeeding to surpass all other products on the same bus tested in the past. The body of the drive is made from high quality plastic, with a retractable design, so we won’t get any chance losing the connectors’ protective cover; the same design we have also found on the USB 2.0 Xporter XT Rage and after months of usage, we still have to find its weak spots.
The drive is also available with 64GB of flash. The 32GB version that we have tested in this article is available online for about 37 Euros, while the 64GB variant goes up to 65 Euros. If you are a customer from Romania, the flash drive can be bought from Eta2U.
I would like to thank again to Patriot Memory for making this article possible!